ELECTION SITREP 4: FAMILIAR THEMES CHARACTERIZE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000031

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BO
SUBJECT: ELECTION SITREP 4: FAMILIAR THEMES CHARACTERIZE
LOCAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN BREST

REF: MINSK 019

Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d).

Summary
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1. (C) Despite claims from authorities in Brest that the
local election process is proceeding smoothly, opposition
political party leaders confirmed that the GOB unabashedly
continues to employ the full arsenal of administrative
resources at its disposal to influence the electoral process.
Party representatives agreed that there is significant value
added in using the framework of the elections to spread the
opposition message, notwithstanding the elections' inevitable
outcome. End summary.


Denials and Pressure Mar Registration
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2. (C) During Emboffs' trip to the southwestern city of
Brest on January 10, local opposition activists asserted that
local election commissions maximized opportunities presented
by the Electoral Code to eliminate opposition candidates at
every stage of the electoral process. Igor Maslovskiy,
Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Gramada" (BSDP) candidate
for the Brest City and Oblast Councils, pointed out that 30
percent of BSDP candidates were denied registration of
initiative groups for signature collection, an obstacle not
encountered during the 2003 local elections. Representatives
of the Belarusian Party of Communists (BPC) -- whose
candidates in Brest withdrew in the past week in a
coordinated protest -- reported widespread cases in which
employers pressured registered candidates to withdraw,
directly or by targeting their family members.


3. (C) Brest City Election Commission Chairman Vasily
Snitko stressed to Emboffs that his commission registered 72
candidates, including 25 pro-government and opposition
political party representatives, for the 40 seats in the
Brest City Council. However, Snitko admitted that the
commission denied registration to 26.5 percent of nominated
candidates, in most cases for errors in the candidates'
mandatory tax declarations.

Unequal Campaigning Conditions and Limited Voter Access
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4. (C) In sharp contrast to assurances from representatives
of the local government and election commission that all
candidates, regardless of political persuasion, enjoyed equal
conditions for campaigning, opposition candidates painted a
much dimmer picture.


5. (C) Yuras Gubarevich, a Belarusian Popular Front (BPF)
leader in the Brest oblast and a local council candidate,
recounted difficulties experienced by opposition candidates
in printing campaign materials. Whereas state-owned presses
artificially delayed the release of low-quality materials, in
some cases filled with errors, privately owned printing
houses simply refused outright to accept orders from the
opposition, citing a desire to avoid licensing or other
problems from the GOB.


6. (C) Stepan Novoselchan, United Civic Party (UCP) Brest
Oblast Chairman and candidate, criticized the local
authorities for ambivalence towards the elections and the
election commissions for inertness in providing candidates
with assistance foreseen by the Electoral Code. He expressed
frustration with insufficient opportunities to meet with his
voters and to distribute campaign materials. He also echoed
the sentiments of his colleagues in other regions regarding
the inadequacy of the radio spots allotted each candidate
(reftel). In addition to airing during non-peak listening
hours, radio spots in the Brest oblast are broadcast on an
antiquated system that does not reach most of the population.

Silver Lining - Party Cooperation and Voter Interaction
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7. (C) Despite a common belief that the local elections
will serve only to highlight the undemocratic nature of the
GOB regime, Brest opposition party representatives concurred
that participation in the elections has been a helpful
exercise at both the local and national level. UCP Brest
Oblast Head Novoselchan praised the opportunity presented by
the local elections to interact with voters within a legal
framework. He expressed regret that the parties were not
able to agree upon a common platform or campaign slogan for

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their candidates, but spoke positively of the level of
cooperation exhibited in ensuring that democratic candidates
did not contest the same seat, thereby making the most of
limited resources.


Comment
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8. (C) The latest pre-election monitoring trip confirmed
that the circumstances in which local elections will occur in
Brest mirror the discouraging situation across the country.
Discussions with the local authorities and opposition party
candidates -- as always under the eagle eye of the security
services and press -- highlighted the complete disconnect
between how the GOB and the democratic opposition perceive
the playing field. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that
opposition activists continue to embrace the value of
participating in the elections as a chance to inform and
interact with the public.
Stewart